With the Gaza issue still developing, there has been much talk about how it might affect South Africa's general election, which is coming up on May 29. With the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) remaining neutral and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) vocally supporting Palestine, the bloody confrontation between Israel and Hamas has become part of the election rhetoric.The Democratic Alliance has condemned radicalism and violence and declared its solidarity with Israelis and Palestinians who are working toward a two-state solution. Following the October attacks, the party issued a statement denouncing any ideology that aims to destroy Israel or Palestine.The fact that South Africa recently played home to the Global Anti-Apartheid Conference for Palestine in Johannesburg's Sandton Convention Centre underscores the gravity of the Gaza problem in that nation. The purpose of the meeting was to increase public awareness of the illegal Israeli settlements and the Israeli invasion on Gaza. International speakers expressed their fury over what they see as a century of colonialism, apartheid, Israeli genocide, ongoing Nakba, and Declan Kearney of Sinn Fein and Palestinian human rights activist Mustafa Barghouti.
Given that the debates and conversations preceding the polls are influenced by this urgent worldwide issue, the impact of the Gaza situation on South Africa's general election continues to be a matter of attention and worry. The prolonged unrest in the Middle East is still a major source of interest for the world and has influenced South Africa's political climate.